The Blue Willow
by coconut994777
Summary: Malintatherien's 61st birthday started the rest of her life. The story behind my OC. Also features our favorite blond elf and the ranger! Rated K to T for family issues, rebellious elf-teenagers, and other stuff...
1. Rough Beginnings

OK, so here is Malintatherian's back story! Hooray! I've been trying to come up with some good ideas for her history, and I believe this one is the best to match her. All elvish is courtesy of . Geography from The Atlas of Middle Earth.

Meletheryn (mother) is Elvish for "The Lady of Love".

Arbellason (first-born brother) is "The Man of Noble Strength", aka Arthur

Revion (second-born brother) is "The Wanderer", aka Errol

and Ferédír is "The Hunter"

* * *

The two brothers are 30 years difference in age, and Malintatherian is 25 years younger than Revion. "Malina" is sort of a pet-name for Malintatherian. In this, she is 61, a mature teenager (about 19-20), and Aragorn is 65.

"No, Malina!" her father yelled.

"But, _ada_, you promised when I was old enough, I could learn to use the bow, like my brothers before me!" she cried. "It is my 61st birthday!"

"I told you that you could learn to use the bow when you were much younger, but" her father sighed painfully. "not after what happened..."

_"Malina, go inside!" Meletheryn, her mother, shrieked._

_As a small child, she did what she was told, running into the house in fright from the blazing fire not too far from where her brothers had stood for their archery lesson from their father. It was the first time Arbellason had practiced with flaming arrows, and missed the apple target in the pond completely._

_"Quick, Ferédír, get more water, or a ladder!" her mother yelled at her father. Her brother Revion was stuck in the tree, he was throwing apples over the pond for Arbellason to shoot, and was stuck surrounded by flaming leaves. Although she was in the house, she saw everything._

_Arbellason already threw multiple buckets, and tried to coax his brother to jump down from the tree. Revion was in shock from the event, he was frozen, speechless, at the top of the tree._

_Her father shooed her to her room, and continued to drag buckets of water to the tree, as her mother tried to talk Revion into coming down._

_Malintatherian felt so weak and excluded, she sat crouched on her bed, trying to listen to what was going on outside. Suddenly, she heard a large crash, and then a long silence. As darkness crept into the valley, her father finally came upstairs._

_"Ada, where is nané, and my brothers?" she asked quietly as he walked down the hallway. He stopped in front of her door, and looked up at her innocent face. Onto her, was released the most dreadful expression she had ever seen on someone's face._

_"Under the tree..." Was all he said before going to his room, and it was all he said for many months._

"Ada, please! All whom I have loved are and were skilled archers, it would be shameful if I never learned!" Tears filled her eyes to think of her mother and brothers who had long departed.

Ferédír shook his head furiously. "Never," He stared completely in rage at her. "If you ever even handle a bow, I will no longer call you my daughter again!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, he backed her up into the corner of the kitchen where she couldn't run away from him.

Malintatherian stared back into his eyes, her face streaming with tears. She said nothing. He finally backed away, and stepped outside. Ferédír grew solemn now. "I'm going down to the tree." He said, as he stared out into the sky.

Once he was gone, Malintatherian sat down on the floor in that corner, and cried. So much had changed since that day. She was never permitted to see the tree, let alone go outside much at all.

But, every night when her father visited the tree, she would run outside behind the house near her bedroom window, and practice archery with the bow and arrows her mother gave her in secret. Her target was a thick pile of wood her father started when he and her mother first moved into their cottage. Malintatherian had become a master, and felt rebellious knowing now she was practicing without her father's permission. When she practiced, she carried her quiver with arrows, a pocket knife, and a bag, to make herself feel the rush of adrenaline as a hunter.

She did not have many friends, since she was hardly ever able to see anyone except on market days. Her one true friend had been her bow, for the twenty years she had been practicing.

Feeling anger, she drew the string tightly, making her shots deadly with aim and force. As she drew one last arrow before heading back inside, her calloused fingers started to bleed. She placed her fingers in her mouth to stop the bleeding, and quickly ran inside to put her bow away.

Malintatherian opened the door, to find her father was already back. She stared at him, nervously and agape, and he turned around to face her as he spoke.

"So, you've disobeyed me? After what happened, after the tree..."

Her mouth opened, but words wouldn't come out.

"Is that how it will be then? To go against what I have told you?" His eyes finally met hers. "Fine then, leave, go where you wish. But never come back."

She stood motionless in the doorway.

"LEAVE!" he yelled. "Before I shoot an arrow straight through your heart, so you can finally feel how I've had to live all these years!"

She burned up in anger. "Maybe I would know if I could know what really happened to my family! They weren't just your wife and sons, they were my mother and brothers!" She slammed the wooden door, and ran down the path to the tree and pond where she hadn't been for fifty years. When the small valley where the pond lay still came into view, she yelled angrily out into the night sky. There it stood, the large willow tree lay long dead next to the pond covered in algae. From the pond, she knew which way was South, or _hyarmen_, for her mother told her long ago, and she never forgot. South of the pond was the Old Forest Road. Malintatherian knew it would lead her to a place where she could escape her dreaded father.

* * *

Sad? A bit. Confusing? It might be. Interesting and something worth reading? Tell me in the reviews!


	2. Well Met, Friend!

Thanks for the response, guys! Means a lot to me! Squeal!

Ruby Red Grapefruit- Love your screen name, btw! Thank you so much! I've been trying to work on her character a bit more, so hopefully I work more of what happened in her past during all those years, etc. Anyway, its ok to ramble, I like to ramble too, I used to write reviews almost as long as the fanfics themselves! (Of course, I would add in lots of random stuff...so I guess it doesn't count.) Anywho, :-D I loves smiles!

Singerinthesilence- has name translations, and Malina's name is my own creation. She's so spiffy! But, you should should write some LOTR stuff, I mean, you post Harry Potter stuff everyday! And you actually get stuff done, unlike me who takes a year to get a 15 chapter crossover done...sigh...^_^ Thank you!

For those who don't know, Malintatherian's name is translated as "The Blue Willow" (with the feminine suffix since its a female name).

For those of you with "The Atlas of Middle-Earth" (teehee, I have one), if you go to page 76, Malintatherian lives just North of Old Forest Road, between Emyn-Nu-Fuin and Rhosgobel. The pond is not on the map, sorry.

Thanks you guys! I'm sure other people have reviewed, but I've been I bit too busy to check my inbox...:-( Anyway, here's the next installment, I hope you enjoy!

In superscript are numbers that refer to this dialogue in Elvish. Since I'm trying to expand my Elvish a bit through this fic, I'll help you with yours too! ^_^

1- Friend, Where are you from?

2- North of here,

3- What is your name?

4- Malintatherian (The Blue Willow). You?

5- Legolas (duh...)

6- Don't look back...

7- Be hushed, beautiful maiden.

8- Forgive me

* * *

The morning sun began to rise when she stepped upon Old Forest Road. Malintatherian stepped onto the long, winding road that ran through Mirkwood, she sensed that other elves were approaching. She felt many footsteps, probably a group, with horses. Malintatherian lifted her hood up began to walk slowly West, toward the Old Ford, allowing the group to catch up to her. When they first caught sight of her, she felt one of them run quickly and lightly up toward her.

"_Mellon, __Man sâd telil?"_1 the young elf asked. The elf's voice seemed high for a male, he seemed very young.

"_Formen,_2_"_ she responded. She looked over to find a radiant young elven man with bright yellow hair who was talking to her. She recognized him a bit, but couldn't place any name on the face...maybe from one of her trips to the market place...

"_Man eneth lin_3_?" _he asked.

She studdered a bit, although she was an elf herself, the one standing next to her was incredible. "_Malintatherian_. _Le_4_?"_

He smiled. "_Legolas._5_"_

After much conversation, she agreed to travel with the young elf lord's caravan. He was Legolas, an elf prince of Mirkwood. Since he was the ruler of her home, she had little choice than to accept his invitation to travel with them to _Imladris_, Rivendell, to visit Lord Elrond and his house and kin. In fact, she began to find that he found her quite intriguing. As they walked back, he asked her:

"Would you like to ride horseback?"

"No!" she said, quite intently. "Excuse me, my lord, but, I've had a terrible past with horses..." she answered politely.

The elf lord seemed a bit startled of an elf being afraid of a horse. "Its all right, you can explain to me why while I help you on. You shall ride with me until you feel comfortable again." He insisted.

She nodded, and slowly got onto the majestic beast. He whispered something to the horse, and the group continued on.

"So...how is it that you..." you began, trying not to pry too much, but Malintatherian didn't mind.

"When I was younger, after...a tragedy in my family, I became very sensitive to everything. When I went to market one day, my father asked for me to wait outside of the smithy's shop until he was done getting a few things. I bought myself an apple and began to walk around the small village nearby. As I walked, I felt something large nudge me, and I was still so small, I was terribly frightened when I saw a large black horse go straight for my apple. I screamed in terror, scared it, and it reared up and accidentally kicked my shoulder." She paused, and pulled her sleeve down to reveal a large scar from a bruise that had been there years ago.

"When I finally got over that fear, and was learning to become comfortable with them again and ride, bareback mind you, I kicked it a bit too hard and fell off..." The elf lord laughed a bit. "May I ask what is so funny?"

"I imagine you must still be afraid to ride fast?" he asked.

"Well, a bit..." she said, not realizing what he was implying.

"_Avo acheno_6_!"_ he said to her, and the horse quickly bolted down the path. When they first took off, Malintatherian yipped in fear, grabbing the elf-lord's waist to stay on. Soon, she looked up, and felt the breeze had knocked her hood off, her hair flowing freely. She smiled, even laughed maybe, the thrill of the horse's fast pace racing through her. Finally, the horse slowed back to a normal pace, they had gotten far ahead of the rest of the group.

Legolas smiled, and turned around, then breathed in as he saw her. She had blue-green hair, that brought out her already vibrant blue eyes. "I now see why you were named after blue willow trees."

Malitatherian laughed. "Is that why you went so fast, to see my hair color? I almost thought for a moment that it was to make me get over my fear of riding? Wasn't it, my prince?" She joked.

Legolas smiled, and paused for a second before he spoke. "You know Malintatherian, you do not need to speak to me with such formal names, Legolas will do finely, thank you."

She nodded. "My family, well, my father, calls me Malina. Its much shorter than saying my whole name, trust me..."

"Why do you keep mentioning your father?" he interrupted. "I mean, I know the importance of a father, but, as a girl, do you not spend more time with your mother? And you mentioned a tragedy earlier..."

She sighed. She had a feeling this question would come up. "I had two brothers, both were good of heart and keen of sight. While practicing one day when I was little, they were working with flaming arrows to work on the importance of accuracy. Near my home is a pond, where a willow tree, that I was named for, grew. They practiced near the water, so the arrows would be extinguished quickly, but one was misfired and hit the tree..." Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she told exactly what had been told to her by her father so many years ago. "I was told to go inside as they tried to put the fire out, but, instead the tree fell, killing both my brothers and..." By now she could hardly continue talking, so long had such a weight of sadness been upon her. Legolas, who now sat side-saddle to listen to her, placed his hand on the opposite side of her head and rested it upon his shoulder. He gently wiped some of the tears off off her pale cheeks.

"Shhh..._sedho, bain wen_7_._ I did not mean to call upon such a sad story, _goheno nin_8_." _

Malitatherian shook her head. "Its all right, I don't mind..." she laughed for a second. "In fact, I'm a bit relieved. I've never had many friends, I'm usual alone at home so I never talk to many others besides my father...I...I've never told anyone else the whole story." She suddenly realized how pitiful she must've sounded to him.

Legolas looked up at the path ahead. "Ai! Look, we've reached the Old Ford!"

Just so everyone is clear, there is a difference between the Old Ford and the Ford at Imladris. The Old Ford in just outside of Mirkwood, in the Northern part of the Anduin River.

* * *

Next Chapter: Over the river and through the mountains to Elrond's house we go! And, we learn more about Malina's bow, and why its special (besides that her mother made it)!


	3. Over The Anduin River

**Singerinthsilence**- Heehee, I do too! When I first created her, I think I gave her black hair and she was a badass because her eyes changed colors with her mood. But, I think that was a bit much, and I completely revamped her! Thank you! I'm working on getting a larger vocabulary for this stuff. For the Elvish: I go on a nifty website called , to their Elvish section. It has English-to-Elvish and vice versa dictionaries, useful phrases, and hundreds of American names translated! I also have what I call my "little red book", its called "The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth" by Ruth S Noel. It has runes, translations, pronunciation, dictionaries, and conjugation guides! Also, this is a bit random, but I also have "The Atlas of Middle-Earth" by Karen Wynn Fonstad, which I also recommend for the holiday season of getting...I mean giving! XD

I love writing Legolas, he's always so cute and fluffy and romantic and cheerful and stuff! ^_^ Plus he's so damn pretty...anyway, awesome! I'm going to get around to reading that other Coraline fic and the x-over soon, but tomorrow is a wonderful Christmas party, fun... Happy Holidays! I promise I'll write at least two more chapters by Christmas! Thanks!

**Ruby Red Grapefruit**- Teehee, the story about my penname sucks. See, its the screenname I use for almost everything, and I came up with it when I first got an account on when I was little. See, I liked American Girl, and especially loved the dog Coconut, so, hence that part. Now, I just tell people its about Monty Python. But, the numbers, I have no idea, I just sorta punched in a punch of numbers...I was a strange little kid. Anyway, OMG Zephyra is a cool name! Greek meaning "west wind", right? Its much better than Kelly...ugh...its so common now...I know a few other Kelly-s and not all of them are wonderful, one of them is my best friend though, lol...anyway, I'm working on it and I'm sorry I haven't been updating too often! I think I've updated this more often than some of my other ones...like my American McGee's AlicexSweeney Todd that took me a year, lol...

1- _Heru- _One Elvish version of "Lord", Legolas' horse's name.

BTW- The beginning of last chapter took place at sunrise (I will be updating that soon).

Music- Want something to listen to while reading? Check out Enaid's album- "Avalon- A Celtic Legend"!

* * *

The two elves slowly trotted up to a large bridge that went across a wide river. Legolas steered the horse a little off the edge of Old Forest Road, or _Men-i-Naurgrim_.

"We shall wait here for the rest of the caravan before crossing the bridge." Legolas said as he jumped off of his steed. He reached out his hand to help her off, but she slid off quite gracefully on her own. He retracted his hand, and went to go ask the watchman at the bridge about something.

Malina reluctantly stroked the horse's neck, she watch the caravan slowly come closer to the bridge. She looked over across the river, and saw something peculiar. A dark grey-brown figure was swimming across the river. She slowly walked across the road, hiding behind one of the trees so that the figure couldn't see her. When it exited the water, she heard it grunt. Malina looked over from behind the tree to see a goblin climb out of the river. She readied her bow with an arrow, turned out from behind the tree, and quickly shot the thing as it tried to sneak into the forest.

The arrow hit it's chest, and it groaned, it drew its knife and began stumbling toward her. Suddenly, another arrow hit its chest, she looked toward the bridge, and saw Legolas with a bow of his own run toward the goblin. She did the same.

The two of them knelt down, observing the body. "A scout for the goblins of the mountains. They have a cavern close to one of the few paths across the mountains to Imladris." He turned to her. "You have very sharp aim," He said, and he pulled her arrow out of the goblin's chest, wiped it with a cloth, and handed it back to her. He then did the same to his arrow and placed it back into his quiver. "Did your father teach you to use it?"

Malina shook her head. "Quite the opposite, he forbade it after my brothers' and mother's death. I taught myself from what I saw of how my mother handled this bow, she made it for me when I was born, knowing I would one day use it. I practiced whenever my father was out of the house and I had finished the housework." She laughed slightly. "It was made using one of the branches of the willow near the pond..."

A voice called to Legolas, and they turned to see the caravan near the bridge. They walked back over to the horse, and mounted it.

"Guard, make sure something is done about that goblin's body." Legolas commanded, as he directed the horse to start across the bridge. As they got on the bridge, the front of the caravan followed. As they got across, the rest soon followed, only allowing a few people, horses, and carts at a time. Knowing it might take a while before all had come across the bridge, Legolas and Malina sat under a shady tree, as the signs of sunset began to show. The horse stood a few paces away, enjoying a last meal of grass until they reached Imladris. Malina found their spot under the tree quite peaceful, and drifted off into a long-delayed nap. She had made a friend, rode a horse, and killed a goblin all in one day. Malina figured that's what happened when you were kicked out of a home that hadn't felt like home in a while. She drifted deeper, as the she felt the sun fall deeper into the horizon of mountains.

Malina awoke riding on a horse, when she opened her eyes, she was sitting in front of Legolas on his horse as the creature gently walked at the front of the caravan. It was early in the morning, the sun just about to rise.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" he said cheerfully. One reason she had befriended him so quickly, he was a true elf, always bringing joy into the hearts of others.

"I thought I would just doze off for a little while, are we already on the Misty Mountains?"

"Well you sure were out like a candle blown out in the evening! I didn't want to wake you, so earlier when we started out I just lifted you onto _Heru_1,"

Malina nodded. _Heru,_ she thought,_ what a perfect name for such a horse_. The young stallion was a light tan color, with a darker-brown color that faded toward his nose. The sun began to rise up a bit more, and Malina rubbed her eyes, still waking up. "So, Legolas, I still have no idea why it is a Mirkwood prince such as yourself is going to Rivendell."

Legolas hummed cheerfully. "As I'm sure you've noticed, this is a trade caravan. We deliver goods from Mirkwood every once in a while to Rivendell. Also, I have a friend there who I have not seen in many a year. I have been wanting to visit him for so long, so I volunteered to escort these merchants to Imladris." He paused. "What about you, Milady Malina? Why were you walking along the road by yourself?"

Malina frowned, thinking remorsefully about her father. "I...had asked my father if, for my birthday, I could finally learn how to use a bow. He demanded I never even touch a bow. Well, that night, I was caught practicing archery, and he banished me from home." Her face grew still and solemn. "I wasn't even sure where I was going, really. The morning after I left, I was walking down that road when you called out to me." She turned around to see Legolas sitting side-saddle again, looking at her with pity. He looked down, and then smiled.

"Birthday, eh? How old?"

"Sixty-one."

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait until we reach Rivendell to celebrate such a wonderful age to be turning."


	4. Many Meetings

Wow, I think I have more readers...YAY! Thanks you guys! Also, I've discovered that my darn borders between Author's notes at the beginning and end haven't been working...*ugh *

**SingerintheSilence**- Lol, who doesn't love a sweet, pretty-boy who just happens to be a prince;-). Lol, I've been trying to go through all my old fanfics cuz I've been finding craploads of errors. (Darn me for not getting a beta-reader) But its so rarely noweadays that I actually write. I should be working on another fanfic for a friend but I really want to work on this one. Inspiration, ya know? Anyway...omg thank you! :D I love your style too, I've read your stuff I just never have time to write a full review (cuz mine are looooooong). Anyway, YAY! *hug *

**Vanime18431**- Whoot! Thank you!

**Childoftheking**- If you look in chapter 1, I have it sorta figured out. I'll explain a bit more below since we're approaching Mr. Anderson's house...I mean, Lord Elrond's... :3 Thank you for your concern!

**RubeRedGrapefruit**- Ya know, right after I posted it I cursed at myself for that exact same error XD. Thank you, I'll be fixing it ASAP. Yay! I love Malina, she's one of the first OCs I've really worked on her thoroughly to make detailed her and fully fledged.

OK, so this is between The Hobbit and LOTR, but before Gollum escapes from Mirkwood. (Which is actually only a few months before Frodo left the Shire). I love my Atlas of Middle-Earth! But anyway, through research to make it as accurate as possible, so here we are!

The year is 2996, and it is (at the start of this chapter) June 20, making Malina's birthday the 18th, 2935. Aragorn is a wonderful 65 (Born March 1, 2931), and he has already given his heart to Arwen, and he is visiting Rivendell before setting out to go prove himself even more to Mr. Anderson...I mean Elrond!

So, there you go, folks! Be confused no longer! All information for research was done on and in my Atlas of Middle-Earth.

Soundtrack for this chapter is the same as the one before: "Avalon – A Celtic Legend" by Enaid.

Elvish Notes:

_Mellon_- Friend

_Heru_- Lord, Legolas' horse

_Im gelir ceni ad lin-_ I am happy to see you again

_Suilaid, man mathach?- _Greetings, how do you feel?

_Mae, le hannon._- Yes, thank you.

Check out my deviantart page for some art I've done of this fic!

* * *

The caravan traveled fairly swiftly, considering the terrain of the narrow path through the mountains. The bright daylight sustained well until sunset considering the many mountains that surrounded them. After a quick dinner of lembas bread, Legolas appointed himself and Malina to take watch for the night. Being that it was the Misty Mountains, they didn't want to take any chances.

The moon was half its full size, and there were many clouds out. It gave Malina the chills.

"Are you all right?" Legolas asked. "You seem cold..."

She turned, finding he was right behind her instead of at his post on a rock on the other side of the circle the caravan made.

"Yes, I'm fine. Its just these clouds are creeping me out, that's all..." she said. Then, she asked, a bit confused: "Why aren't you at your post?"

Legolas blushed a bit, though she couldn't see because she continued to scan all of the paths in the area for any sign of movement. "I saw you shivering, and was wondering if you wanted an extra cloak... plus the visibility from the rock over on the other side is very limited."

She paused. "Visibility of what?"

They heard a noise, and both of them turned their head to the western path. It was a warg. Legolas drew his bow, and aimed for it.

"Wait," Malina whispered. Legolas looked at her, slightly angrily, and took another look at the warg. Its fur was worn down and faded, and it limped on one foot. It sniffed around a basket next to one of the carts. "I have an idea..." she got up, and took an apple she was saving for breakfast out of her pocket. She took her knife, quickly cut it into slices, and then made kissy noises toward the warg. She tossed the pieces toward it making a neat little path up to the northern part of the camp where they were. When it was about 10 feet away, she whispered to Legolas. "Now!"

In about a second, the warg now lay dead in front of them. They knelt down, and began cutting it up to serve to the merchants for breakfast.

"Why?" Legolas asked.

"First of all, it might have been an old warg, and a loner, but it was stronger in its front legs than the back, as you could tell from its limping. If you shot it from back here, it would've only angered it and would try to destroy something. Plus, he got last rights to eat something. It was much easier this way, don't you agree?" She looked up from skinning the last part of the body.

Legolas nodded, admitting she was correct. "I guess so," He smiled, and Malina smiled back.

It took a little less than most of the next day to reach the Western edge of the Mountains. Upon stepping foot in the forest and river-valley area near Imladris, they were greeted by archers that kept watch over Rivendell's borders.

"We no longer need to accompany the merchants to Lord Elrond's house," Legolas said, as they trotted in front of the caravan.

Malina sighed. She knew what was coming. "All right, but please keep in mind I would like to arrive in Rivendell in one piece." She joked.

Legolas smiled, as he again lightly nudged the horse's sides, and the two went bolting forward along the path through the woods. They made a quick turn, and he slowed Heru to a light trot as they merged onto a path on the side of the grand waterfall of the Bruinen.

Malina looked to her side, both in shock and in awe of the large waterfall near an even more incredible set of buildings that she guessed to be Lord Elrond's home. It took a while to go down the path to the ford of the river, and cross it to officially arrive at the main entrance, but the sight was so beautiful Malina wanted it to take longer.

As they rode up to the front archway, a group of elves stood waiting for their arrival.

"Welcome back, Prince Legolas Greenleaf." said a very ancient-looking elf, as far as elves go.

Legolas dismounted Heru, and bowed before the man. "It is so good to be welcomed back, Lord Elrond." Legolas turned and glanced at Malina to signal her to also dismount. Unfortunately, excitement caused her to forget to take her foot out of the right stirrup, and she instead fell off of Heru. She heard a few laughs from the group of elves. Her face red with embarrassment, she quickly stood up, walked carefully next to Legolas, and also bowed.

"Lord Elrond, I am Malintatherian of Mirkwood."

"She is a friend of mine, and will be a guest here at Rivendell with me." Legolas said, trying to recover some of the dignity she had just lost.

Elrond nodded his head. "I welcome you, Malintatherian. There is an extra room next to the one I have prepared for Legolas that should accommodate you finely." He motioned for them to rise from their bow. "I shall have Estel escort you, he has been anticipating your arrival."

From the back of the crowd, a young man emerged. He had an aura similar to an elf, but his ears were a dead giveaway that he was not.

"_Mellon,_" he said as he greeted Legolas with a grasp of the arm. His voice was clear and strong. He began to walk through the archway and up the stairs between Legolas and Malintatherian to lead them to their rooms.

"_Im gelir ceni ad lin_." Legolas said. "I believe you now know of my friend, Malintatherian?"

"_Suilaid," _Aragorn took her right hand and kissed it, she blushed. "_man mathach?_" She blushed even more.

"_Mae, le hannon._" she said.

Aragorn smiled. "Good, you took a nasty fall off of Heru, Mal...Malinta...Malinatath..." he stuttered, trying to remember her name.

"Malintatherian," she said. "Call me Malina."


	5. Happy Birthday

Malina walked into the decently-sized bedroom, opened a large dress next to the bed. It contained some basic tunics and dresses, that she guessed were meant to be nightwear. She smiled, she felt at home. She could see afternoon starting to disappear as night fell across the valley, which she had a gorgeous view of from her window.

She peered underneath the bed, and found that there was plenty of space to store a few things. She grasped the strap of her quiver, and placed it, along with her bow, underneath the bed. She also placed the knife, water skin, and leather guards under as well. Then, she removed her cloak, and placed it in an empty drawer of the dresser. Malina looked up, and then noticed a mirror was hung above the dresser, and her jaw dropped. It had been long since she's looked in a mirror, she hadn't cared too much about her appearance since her early adolescent years. Her hair was unruly, but her cheeks had a soft, rosy complexion...like her mother's. She found a brush in one of the other drawers and quickly brushed her deep purple-blue hair. There was a knock at the door when she finished.

"Malina, would you like to join Legolas and I in the hall for some dinner?" Came Estel's, well, Aragorn's voice. _Aragorn,_ she thought, and smiled.

"Coming!" she responded. Malina took a few steps to the door, and opened it, to find Aragorn and Legolas waiting for her. Both of them smiled to see her cleaned up a bit.

"It is time you celebrated your birthday, milady."

That night was a small open market, and since the days were long they would be able to roam around Rivendell for a few hours before the darkness of night came. Vendors, both from the caravan that had traveled with her and Legolas, and some from other parts of the North, were spread across a small commons near the entrance to Rivendell. It was quite a sight. But, before they headed down to the open market, Aragorn had arranged a special dinner for Legolas' arrival, and now, also for Malina's birthday.

Inside the large hall, was a large table down the middle With other tables scattered within the wings of the the hall. They missed dinner on purpose so that they could have the hall to themselves. They split a small cake decorated it sweetened fruits for Malina's birthday, and enjoyed a glass of a wine that Legolas had received from his father to bring as a gift to Aragorn. It was a white peach wine, and complimented the cake very well.

The sun had barely begun to set when they finally arrived to the market after devouring their dessert quickly. The three talked and joked as they walked around the pavilion of merchants and craftsmen. One particular item caught Aragorn's eye. Malina saw him whispering with Legolas as she browsed around on of the carpenter's stalls, looking for arrows.

While they were in the dining hall, Elrond handed her an envelope, saying it was for her birthday, which contained many cold coins for her to use at the market. She continued searching, and found what she was searching for. Strong arrows with metal tips and blue-purple feathers. She paid for a dozen, and then walked across the path to see what Legolas and Aragorn were looking at. When she joined them, they showed her what they found.

"No, absolutely not!" she said.

They held up a knee-length dress, with a corset built in. The dress itself was a rich green with a black corset, and long sleeves.

"Why not?" Legolas asked. "It would fit you perfectly!"

Aragorn smiled. "Besides, Elrond will not allow you to roam around Rivendell in breeches and a tunic. At least, not forever." Malina winced. It was true, Elrond seemed the type to do that. _Well, as long as they are paying for it._ She nodded.

"Fine, you win. I'll wear it tomorrow, if you'd like." She sighed.

The two of them smiled devilishly. "While Aragorn pays for that, I want to show you your other gift..." Legolas said, dragging her down the path.

"Another one? Really its not necessary, what is it?" She asked him as they ran down the path.

"You'll see..." He said

Legolas finally stopped when they reached the silversmith's shop. He handed the old man running the shop a receipt, and the old man nodded. "It just finished cooling." the old man said.

Malina stood looking at Legolas confused. The old man handed Legolas something wrapped in a velvet cloth, and the elf prince gave him the money. "Thank you, sir." he said.

Malina stood her ground as Legolas walked back toward her, and gave the the cloth. "I had it made for you, I put in the order earlier. I hope you like it!" She looked at him suspiciously, and opened the cloth. She couldn't believe what she saw.

It was a silver broach, in the shape a a willow tree. It had streaks of blue metal where some of the branches were accentuated, creating the illusion that it looked like a real tree. But in the middle of the tree, embedded was a bright blue stone, she guessed to be sapphire, was cut into a diamond shape.

She stood absolutely awestruck for about fifteen seconds. She never had any jewelry, and this was so beautiful. It would look well clasping together her dark-grey cloak.

"Th...thank you, Legolas." She looked at him, almost in tears of joy. "Its absolutely beautiful." He smiled back.

"Happy 61st Birthday, Malintatherian."


	6. Malina the Ranger

To update ages of people here: Malina is now 65 and Aragorn is 69, so we are a little farther in time than the last chapter.

**Elvish:**

_**Mellon, goheno nin- **_**Friend, forgive me.**

_**Im maer**__**- **_**I'm well,**

_**Le hannon**_**- Thank you**

_**No dhínen**_**- Be silent!**

* * *

The two rangers ran through the forest, as if they were flying, as they continued their pursuit of the outlaw. A fearsomely large man, who, although was not stealthy, was strong and invoked fear in many people.

The two of them met up at a tree, a few hundred paces in front of the killer's path.

"So, how do you suggest we take him down? He's obviously in a hurry to get somewhere…" the Elven archer whispered to her captain.

"Like a hideout,"

"Or a base,"

"Shall we continue following him like this, or apprehend him and force him to bring us where he's going?"

"If we try to catch him and he gets away, he'll go the wrong way on purpose most likely,"

"Agreed." The captain put his ear up against the tree they were behind, observed the area around them, and then turned to Malina. "There's a path that forms near the pine over there, he's heading that way,"

"Toward Bree,"

Aragorn nodded half in surprise. They had been after this man since they spotted him on The Road, not far from Rivendell. He had threatened to kill some of the guards at Imladris, so as rangers Malina and Aragorn began following him immediately to make sure he wouldn't cause any more trouble. They heard about him while in Bree a few months before, that he killed three people in a fit of rage and alcohol.

The two sneaked behind the pine tree after he ran past them. The fact that he continued running without noticing they were chasing him meant two things: one, he was distracted by something, and second, that they were doing what they were trained to do.

Malina decided to become a ranger with Aragorn four years ago after her birthday that instead of returning to Mirkwood, she would join Aragorn and many other rangers to protect the folk of the Shire and the surrounding regions.

They continued following him until he entered Bree. They slipped on their hoods and entered the gated city. They followed him to what believed was his home, which was above the silversmith's shop. The two of them walked toward the building, and heard a smash and a scream from upstairs. They ran up the stairs, to where they heard the scream.

They kicked open the door, and found the man, now holding a bottle and a club, standing over a very thin young man, face down against the floor, trying to squirm his way free.

Malina pointed the arrow she set on her bow towards the man they had followed. Aragorn had a knife in his hand that he held pointing towards the floor while he talked to the criminal.

"What are your intentions, because you are going no further than this room at least until we get some answers." He said.

The man sneered. "He threw me out!" he bellowed in a fit of drunken rage. "My own brother, and he threw me out!" He swung his arm and aimed to club his brother's head with it, but was stopped, when Malina's arrow cut his fingers and the club flew out of his hands.

The man's face flamed a bright red from anger, pain, and the beer he drank. His thumb and forefinger bled, but had more than enough strength to attack the elf. He threw her against the wall, and choked her up off the floor.

"You an your kind will pay for your abuse on mankind." He said viciously. Malina, kicked the man's stomach, but the man only sneered again.

Aragorn attempted to attack the man with his knife, but to no avail. The brother wearily got up, and grabbed a large axe sitting in the corner. "Here!" He said, and tossed the axe to the ranger.

Aragorn yelled out as he embedded the axe in the man's side. Finally, the towering man dropped Malina, who was close to passing out, fell to his knees, and then shook the room as he fell.

Aragorn to Malina's side against the wall. "_Mellon, goheno nin._"

"_Im maer,_" she said as she started to stand up. A wave of dizziness fell over her, and she leaned onto Aragorn for support. "_Le hannon._ But, you should not apologize, my captain, it was my own fault."

"_No dhínen_, he was strong enough to be a challenge to both of us." Once Malina had balanced herself enough to stand on her own, Aragorn turned to the man's brother. "Thank you for the axe…I'm…sorry I had to do that to your brother."

The man shook his head. "No, he had it coming to him. I told him to leave the house a few months ago because he never worked and lived off of my generosity as a brother. But, soon after, he kept returned and stealing my work and sold it so he could drink. I will miss him, but only because he was my brother." He turned towards Malina. "You are an elf, it is rare to see women elves fight so bravely, especially against people like my brother. You both must be rangers…"

Aragorn nodded. "Yes, there are about ten of us in and around the Shire, all of whom call me their captain since I am the most experienced right now."

The man nodded. "Thank you. I know your kind doesn't receive much hospitality, but there are a few who still look up to you." He bowed his head. "I am Calmen, at your service."

Calmen offered the two of them a place to sleep for the night, but Aragorn did not wish to impose. Instead, Calmen then offered them a bit of money for their troubles. Again, Aragorn refused, and told him to save it to pay for his brother's tombstone. Close to giving up, Calmen said they could have discounts if they ever needed to re-supply on weapons while in Bree, so Aragorn gave in.

Aragorn steadied Malina to The Prancing Pony, where they decided they'd stay for the night.

"How may I help ye, sir?" the bartender, Butterbur, asked.

"Room with two individual beds please." Aragorn said in a more raspy tone than his regular voice.

Butterbur went through some papers, and then handed Aragorn a key. "Upstairs and to the right. That'll be three gold coins." The overweight bartender held out his hand as Aragorn got out the pay. "Will you two be comin' down to drink later?"

"Possibly," Aragorn said, and he led Malina to their room.

As they ascended the stairs and reached the room, Aragorn unlocked the door, and opened it swiftly. It was a fairly decent sized room, complete with fireplace, two beds, and a table. Malina walked in behind him as he ignited the fireplace.

Malina sat on the bed, removed her cloak and weapons, and placed them on the floor. She lay down on the bed for a second of peace. Once Aragorn lit the fire, he also placed his weapons next to his bed, but kept his hood on. He then sat on Malina's bed and shook her awake from her nap.

"I'm going downstairs for a bite to eat and a drink. Would you like to come?" he asked quietly and in his usual tone.

Malina stirred, but kept her eyes closed. "I'm rather exhausted. I'll wait for breakfast."

"We might be leaving early in the morning, and probably won't have time. Plus we haven't eaten since before the pursuit, it isn't healthy to starve yourself like this."

"You and your 'healer' instincts." She said jokingly with a wide smile. "I think I'll live another few hours without food."

Aragorn smiled at her remark of him being a healer. "Well, the healer's orders are to go downstairs with your friend and captain and eat."

"If another healer told you that, you would be stubborn enough to say no, captain and friend." She sighed. "Oh all right, just let me get my cloak back on."

"Good, there's a surprise waiting for you downstairs."

They went back down the stairs, hoods up, and walked swiftly to a specific table that Aragorn brought her to. Another person was also sitting there. He looked up to greet his friends.

"Good evening Aragorn, and Malina." The old wizard said.

"Gandalf! I haven't seen you since my birthday!"

_After Legolas had given Malina her new broach, Aragorn came running down to join them. Suddenly, they heard an explosion, and looked up to see fireworks in the clear night sky._

_"Gandalf!" Legolas and Aragorn said simultaneously._

_They dragged Malina back up the path to a small patch of grass with a cart, and an old man with a staff setting cylinders on fire. As he did so, they shot up into the air with an explosion of colors._

_"Why hello there!" he cried out._

_"It's good to see you again Gandalf!" Legolas said._

_Gandalf smiled as his friends approached. "Hello Legolas! And Aragorn, you haven't changed a bit!"_

_Aragorn smiled. "We have a new friend, as you can see!"_

_"Yes, I did notice that. And what is your name, milady?" The wizard said with a heart-warmingly delightful smile._

_"Malintatherian, sir." She said, bowing. She'd never met a wizard before._

_"No need to use such formalities with me," he said as he lit another firework into the air, this one an assortment of purples and greens. "Just call me Gandalf, if you please."_

_"Call me Malina, then." She said._

_"So, Malina, how'd you meet these two?"_

_"I met her on my way here, she wants to start a new life away from her father. So, I told her to come here with me, so we could celebrate her birthday."_

_Gandalf stroked his beard. "So, what do you plan to do, Malina?" he asked intently._

_Malina paused. She hadn't thought about that…_

_"She has incredible aim with a bow," Legolas stated._

_Gandalf smiled. "You could always join Aragorn as a ranger." He suggested._

_"Really, Aragorn? You're a ranger? That's incredible! You didn't tell me that," She said excitedly._

_"I'll ask the rest of the group and the captain if it's all right." Aragorn walked over to a group of men and a few elves who were standing near the main gate._

_"Who is the captain?" Malina asked. _

_"Aragorn is..." Legolas said._

"Where have you been, Gandalf?"

"Oh, meeting with the other wizards, having councils in Rohan and at Orthanc." He took a bite of a piece of bread on his plate. "I know it's been a while, but these matters with the other wizards take a while to settle." He said, rolling his eyes. "So I see that being a ranger suits you, Malina?"

She was about to speak, but was interrupted by Aragorn. "She's been adjusting very well to the group."

"Really? Hmmm," he pondered for a second.

"What is it?" Malina asked.

"Oh nothing. Here, try the bread, it isn't that bad anymore. They must've changed the recipe."

After a night of talking with Gandalf over a drink and some bread with beef, the two finally retired to their room upstairs.

When they were both beginning to fall asleep in their beds, Aragorn asked. "So, Malina, have you ever been in love?"

"No, I didn't have any friends to begin with since I lived so far out from any of the towns. Why?"

"Just curious, is all." He said.

"What about you?"

"I'm secretly betrothed to Arwen, daughter of Elrond." He sighed as he thought about her. "We have been so since before I met you,"

"Huh... you... never told me that…" Malina said, her heart broken to pieces.


	7. Who You Are

All of the places mentioned are on Middle Earth maps, my reference is "The Atlas of Middle Earth". I highly recommend it!

* * *

They waved goodbye to Gandalf the next morning, and began heading South. The lands between The Sea and the North and South Roads were mostly desolate, but the few towns and villages were in complete disarray. Many of the Rangers of the North would go there a few times each year to try and settle things down.

The rest of the rangers whose captain was Aragorn were already at a town where the roads from Bree and the Sarn Ford. Since it was a small town in population, many thieves and spies took rest in the town because of its convenient location. The started to walk down The Greenway, a long road that goes from Deadman's Dike, to Bree, all the way down to the Southern end of the Misty Mountains. It was a fairly calm morning, but after a few hours of walking, they new it would start raining.

They continued on, mostly silently, sometimes bringing up conversations about plans for where to find certain thieves or common meeting places for hired spies. Then, after a few more minutes of silence, Aragorn said.

"When we are done at this town, I have to go back to Rivendell." He said, slightly solemnly.

Malina looked up at him. "For what?"

"Things are stirring up, and I need to seek out a creature that may be dangerous to us." He turned to look forward, feeling horrible that he had to tell her like this.

"What will happen to the rangers?"

"A few of them said they'd continue on their own, but, after this, we all are going separate ways."

She finally looked down, she knew he was telling her in advance that she couldn't go with him, no matter how much she would've begged. "But, you must be going with somebody, it's too dangerous, even for you, to hunt out a creature if it is that important."

He nodded. "I know, I am to discuss that with Gandalf and Elrond when we get back to Rivendell."

It grew quiet again, then, the rain began to pour. Malina hadn't been out in the rain too much after her mother and brothers died. She tried to think back to those days, she almost would've cried if Aragorn hadn't been next to her. She couldn't even remember her mother's face very well anymore.

The rain continued to pour, the wind was vicious like a warg's claw. But despite the rain dampening some of her senses, she knew someone was following them, and had been since Bree. She took a deep breath in, and began walking closer to Aragorn.

"There's someone following us. And he's not just another person walking on the road, he's following _us_." She said.

He nodded. "Just keep walking until we get to a place where we can stop him." He stopped for a second to listen. Then turned back to her. "That large tree over there, we'll hide behind it until he approaches."

They quickly ran behind the tree, and waited a few minutes until the person caught up. He was fairly tall and thin, and wore a long cloak. _Could it be he is an elf?_ Malina thought. He stopped right before the path crossed the tree. He knew they were there. "Come out rangers, come out and show me what happens to a murderer."

Aragorn had snuck around behind the tree, and attempted to pin the man down, and Malina had come out from in front of the tree with her bow with arrow ready to distract the man. But it was an elf. Once she was closer to him, she could see he had been drinking. He seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure how.

Aragorn attempted to pin the elf down thrice before Malina shouted at him.

"Aragorn! Stop a moment." She said. He kept his sword at the man's neck. Then Malina smelled something: The elf's dagger was pre-coated in some type of poison. She didn't know which one, but obviously this elf was planning to murder someone.

"Who is it you are going to murder?"

Aragorn eyes widened, he realized she was right.

The elf laughed, his voice ragged from drinking. "One of you, make a guess." Aragorn took a chance to pin the man down, but was thrown up against the tree, he sword accidentally cut his fingers in the process.

Malina guessed he was trying to kill Aragorn, and shot an arrow straight for the heart, in rage. She hit the arm, since he turned around, and then the elf stabbed her abdomen with the dagger. Finally, she saw who it was.

It was her father.

"You were a mistake. Your brothers were born of another woman, an elf. Your mother was human." Her father lunged toward her, sticking the poisoned knife into her gut. As soon as he did so, Aragorn stabbed the elf in the back, then ran to Malina's side.

Malina, ripping the poisoned dagger out of from between her hips, stared at the ground, pain and confusion flooding her eyes with tears. She fell to her knees, and cried out in agony before collapsing, grasping the wound, sobbing. Weakness, all she felt was weak.

"Malina!" Aragorn cried out as she collapsed. He held up, back onto her knees. He had never seen her cry before.

"He was my father, Aragorn. I'm a half-elf." She confessed this newly discovered information to him. "Is your hand all right?" She said, trying to change the subject.

"Shhhh, I'm fine." He let her head fall to his shoulder. He took the dagger out of her hands and smelled to see if any of the poison was left on it, so he could tell how to treat her. He didn't know what it was. His eyes widened in panic, if her father was trying to kill her.

"Can you walk if I helped you?" he said, with panic starting to creep into his voice.

"Yes," she said muffled in his shoulder.

Aragorn helped Malina up off the ground, she winced. "Maybe not, I'm too weak." She said, finally saying the word that had enveloped her mind.

He gently set her down on the side of the tree opposite of the road. "I'm going to go get the other rangers that are in the town. I know one of them has a horse, we need to get you to Rivendell. I promise I'll return in less than ten minutes."

"What if I die?" She said, almost in a whisper from crying. She stared into Aragorn's eyes as she said this, she saw them getting closer, and closing as she felt her lips tingle, and her chin being scratched by his stubble.

"I will come back, I promise you, _mellon nin_." He ran off quickly.

The adrenaline that coursed through her body enough to keep her awake, and the pain subsided a little bit. Her cheeks were blushing a rosy red, but she was too dazed to realize it. The next few minutes, she sat dazed, then passed out as if she were going to sleep.

Aragorn found the rest of the rangers, three in total, waiting for him and Malina near the town.

"Where's the woman?" the only elf among them said.

"Injured, on the road, we need to get her to Rivendell." Aragorn asked, panting.

"She's pretty accident prone for an elf," said one of the men.

"Malina is a half-elf, we've just discovered, and she was stabbed by…" he for a second to think of how to phrase it "a stranger who was following us. He used a poisoned dagger, I don't know what kind of poison it was." He took the reigns of the horse they had with them, and mounted it.

"That's a first," said the other man.

"Don't remind me. You all are to stay here for less than a month, and then go separate ways. I have business with Gandalf in a few weeks."

They nodded, understanding the situation.

He galloped off, as fast and lightly as he could. The horse was raised in Rivendell so it was very nimble. When he got to the tree, he found Malina unconscious, placed her up on the horse, and rode swiftly and uninterrupted straight to Rivendell, paying no heed to roads.

Once or twice, she'd wake up and ask where they were, but she was still in a daze she didn't know why she asked.

"Just trust me, _mellon nin_." He had said to her each time.

They had reached Rivendell in a few hours, but Malina was unconscious upon arrival. Her pulse was weak, and Aragorn wasted no time getting her to Elrond to see what he could do.

The next few hours went by quickly. Aragorn and Elrond figured out what the poison was, it was extracted from a certain plant and slightly diluted in water. It would make you sleepy and your pulse go down, like Aragorn had observed. Thankfully, Elrond had enough athelas to counteract the rest of the symptoms, which included severe bleeding and lack of consciousness for a few days. After helping save Malina's life in a few hours, Aragorn was relieved and exhausted by the time he reached an inviting couch in the library. Before he fell asleep, Elrond came in to ask Aragorn about something.

"Aragorn, Malina wasn't planning on…having children…was she?"

Aragorn looked up for a second; suddenly suspicious of why Elrond would ask such a thing. "Not that I know of…why?"

Elrond looked down. "After this injury, it would be impossible for any child she would bear to survive, if chances allowed her to even conceive, is, well, inconceivable." He sighed, knowing this would strike a harsh chord with one of her closest friends. "Rest well, Aragorn. You have saved her life, find peace in that." Elrond slowly walked out of the library, and back to his room.

Aragorn stretched himself across the couch, almost as dazy as Malina had been, he knew that news of this would not help the healing process after such a traumatic day. He would wait to tell her. He would also have to wait to explain to her why he had kissed her so passionately.

Well, do you liiiiike? :D I have been playing with the ideas of this chapter for a while...*excited face*...I'm so evil to Malina. But...I'm going to use her a a DnD character soon...so...I hope she forgives me!


	8. Awaken, Mellon Nin

Malina lay perfectly still as she slept through most of her recovery. She hadn't woken yet since Aragorn had brought her there. It had been an entire rising and setting of the sun, and he had a feeling she would wake soon, and wanted to be there with her when she did.

He sat in a large armchair next to the bed, reading a book he had found in Elrond's library. It was a transcript of the Lay of Luthien, the one story he could read just one more time and still learn so much from. As he read, he thought about a conversation he had with Arwen in Elvish earlier that day.

"_How is Malina faring?" Arwen asked, half-heartedly._

"_She's starting to recover nicely, her breathing is back to normal, and the affects of the poison are diminishing." He replied._

"_How... dear is she to you?" she asked, jealousy almost mixed with the words._

_Aragorn looked over at her, surprised. "She is a friend. You of all people on Middle-Earth should know this, my love." He held Arwen's hands, and pressed his forehead against hers._

_She nodded. "Forgive me…"_

Malina, eyes remaining closed, took in a deep breath. Aragorn could tell she was conscious, but did not want to open her eyes.

"Have you awoken, _mellon nin_?" he said softly.

She continued to breathe deeply and peacefully. "And I have woken in good company, I see." She smiled, keeping her vision blocked. Then, her head twitched for a second, listening to Aragorn's silence. "Something is wrong, and if I am mistaken, it is many things that are wrong." She opened her eyes, and gazed into Aragorn's." I may only be a half-elf, but I can sense when a friend is troubled." A tear fell from one eye, and slid down her cheek and more followed. "Please, tell me, let it not be short of the truth."

Aragorn had managed to avert her gaze, until he heard a small sob escape her lips, and saw her trembling lips and tear-stained face.

"Your father…is dead…"

She let out a bit of a laugh between the sobs. "That I know, and I don't mind as much."

He nodded. "The poison, we discovered what it was, and you should be fine."

She smiled, and then a thought darkened her face. "The wound itself…"

Aragorn bit his lip. "Elrond told me earlier that you should not plan on having children…I'm sorry…" He shut his eyes so as not to see her cry once more, but it was for not. Though no sound of sadness she cried, he knew her soul had been torn apart.

After a few minutes, that seemed lifetimes in length, Malina broke out of her silence. "My captain, I have a question." She paused, and waited for him to respond with eye contact. "Why did you kiss me?" she whispered softly, managing to hold back the sobs that lumped in her throat. She sat up in the bed.

Aragorn paused, knowing this question would come up soon. "Adrenaline is one of the best natural pain-killers." He said, turning away.

"You are a terrible liar, you know." Malina said, looking down to the floor. She felt a wave of weakness come over her. She fell forward, sighing in fatigue.

Aragorn caught her from under her arms, and steadily set her on her knees gently. He kneeled in front of her; her head remained toward the floor in embarrassment. "You need to rest, you are still weak from your wound." He said, trying to change the topic. He held his arms on her shoulders to hold her up, and she placed her hands on his elbows. She slowly lifted her head to look into his eyes. He was trapped in her gaze.

"I am betrothed." He said.

"I know," Malina replied. "I don't care."

He sighed, knowing he had made so many mistakes. He needed to fix things, but, needed to make up his mind. "I must travel to complete an important task, as I told you. I am crossing the Misty Mountains to start my search. I would like to escort you home, and will stay a while until you feel comfortable. Once my task is complete, I promise to go straight there."

She nodded. "All right."


	9. Pure Love

**A/n: Hey! I know I haven't posted anything in a while. But, yesterday was my birthday party, and I've been frazzled with that, and a show I'm doing, and school, and so, yes. Speaking of my birthday, a dear friend of mine drew the kiss from Chapter 7. I'll try to see if I can get it scanned and uploaded, and I will give you the link if it happens. Also, I'm going to be re-posting updated chapters, so be on the watch for the fixed grammar/spelling. Thinking about getting a beta-reader (mecherry?). Want some great music to listen to while you read this? Check out the album "Avalon – A Celtic Legend" by Enaid. Please enjoy!**

* * *

_One week later…_

It was early in the morning, so they could travel farther in the course of that day. Since Aragorn's journey would not need a horse, he decided to just go by foot (which he preferred). Malina waited for him with her pack and some supplies outside of Rivendell's eastern gate. He was saying goodbye to Arwen and a few other friends. When he finally caught up, they exchanged nods.

Their journey had mostly been quiet. Once they reached a small campsite near the eastern border of the Misty Mountains, however, Aragorn finally broke the silence, as he started to make a small fire.

"So, how far away from the ford is your home?" he asked.

She didn't meet his gaze as she unpacked a frying pan, but responded "Quite a few miles. There is a path marked by a boulder with my father's symbol. It should take about half a day after the ford."

He nodded, as he finished getting the fire started. Malina handed him the frying pan, and a filleted fish wrapped in parchment. It was quickly fried with herbs, and split between the two of them.

They ate their fish in silence as the moon rose into the sky. Malina, when she finished her dinner, lay underneath a nearby willow tree, letting the fallen leaves get in her hair. She lay with her feet touching the base of the tree. She was soon joined when Aragorn sat up against it, as he smoked his pipe.

She continued to look up above her, letting the scarce moonlight that shined through to reflect against her pale features. Malina gently closed her eyes, and let her mind wander.

_How could I tell her…or show her…what she now means to me?_ Aragorn thought. This wonderful half-elf, had stolen his heart, even though he thought he had sealed it for life. He set his pipe down back near the fire, and laid himself next to her, a hand on his stomach and one behind his head. Malina stirred for a moment, half-awake, and turned her head slightly toward him. He turned as well, staring at her.

It was hard to tell she was a half-elf at first glance, but now that he knew it all made sense. She was tall, and her face was fair, but she showed weakness at times, and she acted significantly more mature than elves of her age. In fact, she was almost his age.

Malina opened her eyes, and jumped a bit, startled that he was so close to her, his face looking intrigued. "Is… there something wrong?" she asked quietly.

"You have some leaves in your hair," the man replied.

She shrugged with a yawn, "I care little, they won't harm me." She smiled, her eyes starting to close. "You should get some rest, you have a long day tomorrow, and soon I won't be here to remind you to keep up your strength." She nestled herself back into the willow leaves; contented. The silence of the night was very relaxing to her.

After a minute or two in complete blissful silence, it was broken with Aragorn's low, smooth voice.

"Malina, I know you asked me why I did what I did…I…lied…" He sat sitting up against the tree, arms on his knees, head on his arms.

Malina's eyes shot open, as they began to water up. She sat up as well, face him, but eyes not meeting since his stared toward the ground. "What…what are you talking about? You mean the…"

"Yes, but, I…"

"I know, you are betrothed. I already know but…

"But, I think I love you!"

There was silence. Complete silence. A tear slid down Malina's face, and Aragorn's face had disappeared into his arms.

"You…love…me?"

All she could hear was a whispered _yes_ from his muffled mouth. He looked up a bit. "I'm so sorry…I have hurt you so much…"

"And you aren't in any pain at all? I doubt it, I feel worse for you, right now…" Malina said. She kneeled in front of Aragorn, and gently swept her finger under his eye to remove a few coming tears. Aragorn let his legs fall so that they folded in front of him, letting his hands fall to hold his feet.

She was about to say something, but was interrupted by the touch of his lips. Since she couldn't clearly remember the first kiss, so this was a completely new experience. She felt something course through her veins, to the point where she was shaking. It surprised her; she almost pulled away if it wasn't so completely wonderful.

Aragorn leaned back against the tree, followed by Malina, still locked with their lips. The security and secrecy of the willow's branches held back all other obstacles that kept them apart. There was no shame; nothing to hide from the other. Pure love, at its fullest.


	10. Returning

Years later…

"Whooaaaa…easy." Aragorn whispered to the steed as they trotted down the path. It was a long road through Mirkwood, and he was looking for his dear friend, and his most trusted ranger. After hunting Gollum, and delivering him to the kingdom of the Elven King of Mirkwood for safekeeping, he returned to her home so they would continue their duties as rangers. However, they felt too compelled toward each other, and Malina said her good-byes and returned home. Now, years after, the other rangers had become corrupted, lost, or killed, and Aragorn had a mission that he knew he could not do alone.

He found the old stone along the path, slightly overgrown, and heard the whistling of arrows in the glade past the stone. He left an apple near the stone for the horse, and walked up toward the cottage. Not far away, he saw her once again, unchanged, aiming for apples in a tree with her arrows, hitting each one deadly speed.

She stopped for a moment, she felt someone's presence nearby, and quickly drew her bow, aimed toward where Aragorn stood. His eyes widened, slowly walking forward with his hands up, smiling.

She dropped her bow and ran to him, kneeling down as she got close enough. "Captain, it is good to see you well."

"Likewise, please, stand." He handed her a letter for her to read. "I need you."

_Dear Aragorn,_

I am being held against my will, and need you to meet with and guide some friend of mine from Bree to Rivendell. They are hobbits, two of them (although something tells me there may be two more with them). One of them has in their procession what may be of danger, and lure dark forces. His name is Frodo Baggins, a gentle soul, of whom I have complete faith in the task I have asked him of. If at all possible, have another ranger nearby on this journey, for battle may be imminent. I will meet you there if I can, if not, take care.

_ ~G_

"Malina, you must come." Aragorn said, as she finished reading the letter.

She nodded. "Of course. I'm sick of this place anyway, I'll grab my cape and some supplies. Would you like to come inside?"

Aragorn nodded, "Gladly," he replied.

They stepped into the small house, the kitchen in mild disrepair, and the table covered with tools for making arrows, her trade.

She ran upstairs to her room, happily taking her cape and brooch out of the bottom drawer, and grabbing her satchel which still contained some athelas, a hunting knife, and other survival equipment.

She came back down, to find Aragorn poking out the burning embers of the fireplace. She stopped for a moment, remembering her intense feelings for him as Aragorn, not her captain.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

She locked up the door to the house, and grabbed a full quiver of her own handmade arrows, and strapped her bow to it. They walked down the path back to the road, and Malina took in a deep breath as she say Aragorn's horse tied up to a tree.

"It is the fastest way, if we are to make it to Bree as quickly as possible. We won't go too fast, since there is two of us, but we will need to make a few stops to give him a rest. Is that all right with you?" He smiled. "Or would you prefer to run alongside us?"

"I am only half-elf, remember?" She smiled back.

He mounted the horse; "his name is Mithrochir, the 'Grey Horse-Lord'." The name suited him well, for he was a light grey-speckled stallion held his head high, and had a dark grey circle around his forehead, as if he wore a crown. Aragorn reached his hand down to Malina to help her on. Reluctantly, she sat in front of him on the saddle as they rode for Bree.

They galloped swiftly down the road, and it wasn't long before they reached the mountains, and they had to slow their pace to be wary of the rocks and goblins that lurked along the path.

The long silence was broken as darkness settled in, and Mithrochir eased to a walk through the rocky path.

"Aragorn, that mission you were sent out for…what happened?" She asked, as she began to doze in and out of sleep.

"I traveled deep into the southern edges of Mirkwood, hunting down a creature who could be a threat to us…Gollum."

"Did you…find it?"

Aragorn nodded his head. "Yes, I found him, he is now under the care of the King of Mirkwood and his army."

Malina yawned. "Thank Elbereth." Her head leaned over as she started to doze off, but lurched back up as she attempted to remain awake.

"You may sleep, Malina, it's perfectly fine."

Without argument, she lost consciousness just after she felt his arms wrap tightly around her so she wouldn't fall off. She fell asleep without crying for the first time in all those years.


End file.
